The protective covers disclosed herein are improvements over that disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 10/896,704, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
A protective cover of the kind to which the invention relates has a central, relatively soft pad or cushion section corresponding substantially to the length and width dimensions of a supporting surface such as an imaging table on which a patient may be placed for the purpose of enabling diagnostic or other procedures to be performed. The surface of the table on which the patient is placed conventionally overlies electronic and other components which are utilized in the imaging or treatment of a patient supported atop the table. It frequently occurs that fluids from the patient or another source are admitted to the upper surface of the supporting table and, in some instances, such fluid contaminates the imaging apparatus housed below the support surface. In such event, both the support and imaging apparatus must be cleaned and, if the fluids contaminate the imaging apparatus, the table may be out of service for a substantial length of time.
Protective apparatus disclosed in the above identified patent application functions very well to prevent or minimize the problems associated with fluids collecting on or seeping through the upper surface of a patient support. However, such protective apparatus requires the inclusion of a waterproof coating, thereby necessitating the application and curing of the coating and the attendant cost of such coating and its application.
A conventional protective cover may have a center section or pad adapted to lie on the imaging table. Extending laterally from opposite side edges of the pad are flaps to provide for the attachment of patient restraining straps and to form a barrier to the admission of fluids to the surface of the table. These flaps conventionally are added to the central section as a separate operation, thereby requiring materials and operations in addition to those involved in the production of the pad.
A protective cover constructed in accordance with the disclosed embodiment avoids the necessity of a coating, as well as its application, but does not sacrifice the waterproof nature of the protective apparatus. The protective cover according to the invention also enables the central pad and unitary flaps to be formed simultaneously.